Edmund w



2 Sheets- Sheet l..

Patented J11ne'4,v1889..

E. W. WOODRUFF. DOCUMENT 0E LETTEE TILE.

@THEME e' e e -e ele' e' ee-eefeeee (No Model.)

No. V404 ull hun lung-Imn" ull e eeee UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

EDMUND NV. WOODRUFF, OF VASHINGTON, DISTRICT 4OF COLUMBIA..

DOCUMENT OR LETTER FILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,458, dated J une 4, 1889.

Application filed March 11, 1889.

. T all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, EDMUND WV. IVOODRUFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Document and Letter Files; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

While it is the practice in business to file away certain papers or documents in a folded condition, and also to store collections of such papers in envelopes or files, it is very desirable for purposes both of economy of space and v ready reference to preserve certain other papers (a common example of which is found in ordinary business-letters) in a flat or unfolded condition and in a properly-indexed arrangement. For these purposes two radically different styles of Ydevices have'heretofore been used, differing in external appearance and in shape, and requiring a case or cabinet With differently shaped compartments respectively adapted to the different styles of said devices.

It 1s the object of my invention to provide a means for filing papers which will be capable of holding the two styles of papers, (folded dictate.

Serial No. 302,787. (No model.)

embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is perspective view of the holder, which may be termed the letter-holder, for fiat or unfolded papers, drawn out and opened. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the same closed, provided with an index and filled with papers. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of this holder and of the adjacent parts of the case. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the same. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the devices or slides which sustain the letter-holder when the latter is drawn out. Fig. is a similar view of a modified form of slide, more especiallyadapted for the holder for folded papers, which may be termed the document-holder. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section illustrating the latter form of slide.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates a case or cabinet provided with any desirable and of space are thus secured. -When shelves i.

of such length are employed that there might be a liability to bend or sag under a load of filled holders, I employ at intervals-say at every fourth holder, as shown-in Fig. l-a vertical support a', which may be in the form of a partition running back the full depth of the shelves or for a portion of such depth.

The cabinet mayof course be constructed, if desired, with a separate space or compartment for each holder.

In the simplest form of the device the holders rest immediately upon the shelves without any slide or other device adapted to sustain them when drawn out upon the cabinet in front of their places, and when the contents of the holders are to be examined the latter will be removed bodily from vtheir shelves and held in the hand or placed upon a convenient table, desk, or shelf. I Will first describe this form of the holders Without regard to the slide or sustaining device, which in some instances'I prefer to use,.and which is hereinafter more particularly referred to.

B indica-tes the holder for folded papers, which maybe termed the document-holder.

IOO

It is made of a width suitable for the papers or file-envelopes which it is to contain-say four and three-quarters inches-and is provided with afollower or file-board Z), operating in planes at right angles to the front- The direction of operation of such follower may be eithei` vertical or horizontal, as is well known in this class of holders, the latter coustruction being shown in 'the drawings.

o C indicates the holder for fiat or unfolded papers snch as business-letters-Twhieh device may be termed, for the sake of distinction, the letter-holder. This holder is upright in position, and the papers within it rest 5 upon their edges, being properly sustained between one of the sides c of the holder and a lateral fileboard c', which openates in planes parallel with the front c2 of the device. At the side on which the follower is situated the o holder is open, as shown. When closed,vas

shown on the top and bottom shelves in Fig.

l, the letter-holder presents the same external appearance (except for its label) as the doeument-holder, and is adapted to be readily iuterchanged with it. The whole filing apparatus, therefore, is uniform and regular in appearance, and the cabinet or ease which forms a part of.the same is equally uniform in construction, contributingI much to simo plicity and economy in manufacture. As con venience of arrangement may dictate, the differentkinds of holder may be transferred from one part of the case to another-for instance, as they become filled and go out of 5 current use-or different proportions in nu 1nber of the document-holder and letter-holder may be accommodated from time to time in the same case as the course of business may render desirable.

o For convenience of examination the follower c' of the lctter-holder is provided with a support c3, adapted to hold it in an outwardly-inelined position. (See Fig.) lVhen thus constructed the holder is particularly 5 well adapted to receive a card-index D, hav ing its lettered or indicating edge situated atthe top of the holder. (See Fig. 3.) In order to facilitate the display of the dates and signatures of letters, the right side of the letter- :n holder is left open, and the follower c and support c3 arranged on that side. The holder may, however, be reversed in use, with its rear toward the person examining its eon tents. Then intended to be so used the rear 5 board c4 may be cut away partly to give a better view of the interior of the holder and to facilitate the introduction of the hand in tiling or removing letters. rlhe direction of such cut is indicated by the dotted line a',

n (shown on the front board c2 in Fig. 2, which front board may be considered, for the purpose of understanding this modification, as the rear board of the holder.)

The support c for the file-board c consists,

; by preference, of a leveriiiouiited at its lower end and adapted to be moved from one side of the holder to the other in a T-groo\f'e c,

para H contignity.

formed in a plate fitted iu the bottom of the holder. The construction and operation of this lever are well known an d need not behere further set forth.

I will now proceed to describe the sustain ing device or slide, which is adapted to supportthe holder, when drawn out, on the front of the case immediately in. front of its space. Thile practically the same slide may be used with either type of holder,l prefer to modify its construction in certain details according to the particular form of holder with which it is to be used, with a view to secure more perfect and convenient working of the parts.

'In Fig. G are shown in plan view two contiguous slides especially adapted for sustaining the letter-holder (l. Referring' to this figure, and also to Figs. 2, 4, and 5, E indicates the slide, preferably consisting` of two side bars c c, a rear bar c', and a front bareg. The slide may be made in one piece or of sev eral pieces secured together and of any suitable material. On their inner edges the bars c are provided with longitudinal rabbets e and on their outer edges with similar rabbets et F indicates a metal plate or button situated in the space between the bars e, secured to the upper side of the shelf a, and provided with an overhanging flange or head which fits in the rabbets ci of the side bars. This button is situated a short distance back from the front edge of the shelf, and, it will be seen, acts as a stop (by contact with the rear bar e) to limit the forward movement of the slide, and also keeps the rear end of the slide from tipping up and maintains it in a hori- Zontal position. rlhe slides are caused to act as guides foreach other by virtue of their The letter-holder, when adapted to tit this form of slide, is provided upon its bottom at the edges with blocks G of such width as to fit the rabbets e, and of such sitnation and length as to stop the forward movement of the letter-holder upon the slide when said holder is in the desired position. It is obvious that a mere inversion of the arrangement shown of the block or blocks G and the rabbet or rabbets e" may be used, the former being attached to the slide and the latter formed in thebottom of the holder. In the construction illustrated this position is IOC ITO

that shown in Fig. 2, where the rear edge oli' the top of the letter-holder is just below and engaged by the edge of the shelf above. It will be seen that the holder is thus prevented from tipping up at its rear end and is main- Jtained iirmly in position suitable for the ex.- amination of papers.

It will be readily understood that the buttous F may be arranged at the edges of the slides and the blocks (or a single block) (1l situated in the central groove of the slide. lVhen it Ais desired to remove the letter-hol d er bodily, it is simpl y necessary to draw it, with its slide, out to the full extent., and then slightly raise the front of the holder till the forward ends of the blocks G are clear of the front bar e2, when there will be no obstacle to the entire removal of the holder. The

front edge of the bar e2 forms or is providedV sired to have room for releasing and dropping back to an inclined position (see Fig. l) the follower b, even though the holder be full, it is preferred that the slide for this holder be adapted to sustain the latter when drawn out to a position entirely outside of the. case A. Instead of relying upon the shelf above to assist in supporting` this holder, therefore, the block G, carried upon the bottom of the holder and fitting in the slide, is arranged centrally of the holder and slide, and is provided with lateral arms g, which extend for a short distance beneath the side bars e, fitting in rabbets e, formed in the lower inneredges of the bars. Said arms g eftectually maintain the holder B in a horizontal position, even when drawn out to a point entirely beyond the case A.

At their rear ends the bars e are recessed on their in ner sides, as shown at e7, to permit of the vertical passage of arms g when the holder is in the act of being removed bodily from the case and from its slide. To remove the holder bodily, itis not necessary to operate its slide. If the holder be simply taken by its usual handle or ring r and tipped forward, the block G and arms g will pass upward through the central slot and recesses e7 of the slide, and the holder will be freed from any connection with the case. It may be as readily replaced,these operations being as simple as if the holder were mounted directly upon the shelf without a slide. The block G being situated centrally in this holder, the buttons F are arranged at the sides of and between the slides, as seen in Fig. 7 The slides are thus not contiguous, and as they will not serve as guidesA for one another I employ a second button F in line with button F, whereby the slide is prevented from having undue lateral play.

For the slide which comes next to the side of the case A or to the partition c theregisprovided a retaining finger or lug Z, which is secured to said case or partition (see Fig. 7) and engages the rabbet in the edge of the slide.

By an examination of the form of slide shown in Fig. 7 it will be seen that if the block G of the letter-holder be arranged centrally either this holder or the documentholder maybe mounted on and used with this slide.

Instead of using the molding e5, the forward end of the slide may stop a little back of the face of the holder, and the front board of the latter may extend down to the shelf, thus concealing the slide.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination, with the upright letter-holder having an open side, of the lateral file-board or follower operating in planes parallel with the front of the case, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the upright letter-holder having the open side, of the lateral le-board or follower operating in planes parallel with the front of the case, and a card or leaf index arranged within said holder with its leaves parallel with the sides of the holder and its marked or indicating edge situated at the top of said holder, substantially as set Iforth.

3. The combination, with the upright leti ter-holder having an open side, of the lateral file-board or follower operating in planes parallel with the front of the case, and a support engaging said follower and adapted t0. support the same in an inclined position at the side of said holder, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the upright letter-holder having an' open side, of the lateral file-board or follower operating in planes parallel with the front of the case,a support engaging said follower and adapted to support the same in an inclined position at the side of said holder, and a slide situated beneath the holder and adapted to sustain the same when drawn out, substantially as set forth.

5. The combinationfwith the cabinet or case A, of the document and letter holders of uniform` appearance, said document-holder being provided with a file-board or follower operating in planes at right angles to the front of the holder, and the upright letter- IOO holder having an open side and a lateral fol-TFO .right letter-holder having an open side and` provided with a lateral follower operatingain planes parallel with the front of the holder, said holders being interchangeable, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination, with the case or cabinet, of a slide engaging the same and provided with a longitudinal slot'or space, and having a lateral recess e7 at the rear end of the slot or space, whereby it is adapted to receive and sustain, when drawn out, either the document or letter holder, substantially as set forth. Y

8. The combination, with the case or cabinet having a shelf a and the holders, of the slides E, arranged contiguously to and adapted to keep each other in place on said shelf, and

retaining devices which hold Said slides To adapted to engage the underside of the slide, ro the sheh, but permit their reeiprooation', Subsuhsimitizdly as set forth.

Stantiaiiy as set forth. In testimon y whereof Iaix my signature iu 9. The Combination, with the shelf ,of the the presence of two witnesses.

5 slid() IE, hr1/ving ai longii/udinfll $13210@ Vitill a.' lateral recess e7, retaining devices whiohhold J i" Said slide to the Shelf, but permit its reeip- \Vin1essesz roeaiien, mid the holder provided with :istop IT. N. LOW,

.which fils Smid Space, mid .fly intera] :mil (l, E. K. STUR'IVEVAN'I. 

